(ח) הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָֽה־ה׳ דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹקֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}
(8) “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, And what GOD requires of you: Only to do justice And to love kindness, And to walk modestly with your God;
Questions:
1 - Do you agree with these three basic "requirements" as the basis for being a good person? If you could add one more what would it be?
2 - What does it mean to do justice? To love kindness? To walk humbly with God?
3 - Would it be important to be a good person even if God didn't "require" it? Why or why not?
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי:
He [also] used to say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? And if not now, when?
Questions:
1 - How do the three phrases in the text relate to one another? Does one phrase resonate most with you and if so, why?
2 - How might any of these phrases relate to a situation in your life or the world at this moment?
3 - What do you think this text is trying to teach?
Rabbi Simcha Bunem of Pershyscha
Had a practice of carrying two slips of paper, a different note for each pocket, depending on the need. In one pocket the note read: “For my sake was the world created.” And in the other, the words: “I am but dust and ashes.”
א כִּי צָרִיךְ כָּל אָדָם לוֹמַר: כָּל הָעוֹלָם לֹא נִבְרָא אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִילִי (סנהדרין לז). נִמְצָא, כְּשֶׁהָעוֹלָם נִבְרָא בִּשְׁבִילִי, צָרִיךְ אֲנִי לִרְאוֹת וּלְעַיֵּן בְּכָל עֵת בְּתִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם, וּלְמַלְּאוֹת חֶסְרוֹן הָעוֹלָם, וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲבוּרָם.
Now, each person must say: “The entire world was created only for my sake” (Sanhedrin 37a). Consequently, because the world was created for my sake, I must constantly look into and consider ways of making the world better; to provide what is missing in the world and pray on its behalf.
Questions
1 - In the Simcha Bunam pockets practice, when would you advise a person to look at the note about dust and ashes? What about the other note?
2 - What do you think Simcha Bunam learned from his practice?
3 - How does Rebbe Nachman understand the meaning of "the world was made for my sake?" What obligations come with this orientation?
4 - Taken together, what do you think these texts teach about the place and purpose of human beings in the world?
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה. ...
He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say: It is not up to you to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it...
Questions:
1 - What do you think this text might mean by "the work"?
2 - What kinds of worthwhile "work" might be larger than one person can do alone?
3 - Do you think this text is encouraging? Discouraging? How?